My Dragon Husband
by Raberba girl
Summary: Transformed into a horrible beast, she is miserable until her husband suddenly shows up. Unfortunately he doesn't recognize her, and she must win his heart again before it's too late.
1. Part 1

My Dragon Husband

A Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl

Summary: Transformed into a horrible beast, Kaoru is miserable until her husband suddenly shows up. Unfortunately, he doesn't recognize her, and she must win his heart again before it's too late. KK

**Part 1**

Kaoru shivered as she made her way down the street, clutching her shopping basket tightly in one hand and her shawl closer around her with the other. She _hated_ the cold with a passion, but of course it had been a long time since she had been able to travel somewhere warmer. Stuck here now, in this horrible little village, she sensed the people passing by her on either side, most of them silently giving her wide berth. They did not hate her as she hated them, but they knew instinctively that she was different, and avoided her accordingly.

She could not stand it anymore. She needed to find a place to warm up before completing her journey home. Twilight was falling on this harsh autumn day, and she was not looking forward to another cold, lonely night.

With the reputation she had for being a bit uncanny, she doubted she could just take refuge in the inn's common room; she had to buy something so that they would not throw her out. Sullenly, she set down some coin for a mug of ale, which she then placed in front of a depressed-looking man who seemed to want it more than she did. Then she huddled by the fireplace and stared unblinking into the flames, thinking as always of the one she loved and had lost.

After a long time, when her body was finally starting to relax in the embrace of the fire's heat, snippets of the conversation around her began to trickle into her preoccupied mind.

"You can't be serious!"

"It's true then? That monster's come _here_?"

"Aye," someone who apparently enjoyed storytelling was saying with relish. "It was the Hitokiri, sure an' enough. Set light t' half our village afore we lost 'im, but gor! That devil was somethin' t' see. We lost six good men to 'im; we ain't gonna rest 'til 'is head is mounted in the square!"

There was a surge of laughter, and Kaoru shuddered. Hearing people talk like this disgusted her. It reminded her of how creatures were hunted mercilessly for nothing more than defending their rightful territory. If she had cared about the conversation, she would have preferred to reserve judgment on this "Hitokiri" before knowing both sides of the story. These people were prone to exaggeration, deception, and selfish arrogance.

That night she lay curled in a nest of blankets and clutched a pillow in her arms, gazing out at the moon. _'I miss you,'_ she cried out to him in her heart. _'My love, my love, I miss you so much...'_ No matter how loudly or how often she called to him, he would not hear. How could he, if he had never come for her?

In the morning she was sleepy and sluggish as she usually was in cold weather, and she did not venture out of her comfortable nest until the sun had long risen. Then she dressed as warmly as she could and set off for the mountain slopes, meaning to gather more herbs today. It had taken her some time to get re-acquainted with them, for they seemed to look and taste different now, and she had had to learn how to find them all over again.

On her way up the path she passed a freckled child who stuck his tongue out at her as she passed, a shepherd boy with his family's small flock of goats. She hissed in response, and he yelped as if she had struck him, scrambling backward and making the sign to ward off evil. She turned away in disinterest and resumed walking.

She almost did not pause at the boy's shout behind her, but then the light wavered slightly as something passed across the sun. Kaoru's steps slowed and she glanced up, squinting. Something was flying past, some creature that flashed ruby-red in the sunlight-

Kaoru gasped. Then she dropped her basket, hitched up her wretched skirts and ran, desperate to keep the creature in her sight. _'It can't be...it can't be...!'_

She was breathless as she followed the creature, not from the exercise, but from anticipation. It could fly much faster than she could run, and the distance between them was lengthening rapidly. "Oh please," she sobbed. "Oh please, wait..."

It was circling now, flying lower and lower, and hope rose within her. _'The lake,'_ she realized. It meant to come down for a drink. She put her head down and ran faster, now that she knew the way and did not have to keep her eyes on her quarry.

Bursting out from the bushes around the lake, Kaoru panted for breath and gasped in relief when she saw that the creature was still there. It was finished drinking and had spread its wings to take off again, but it suddenly went stock-still when it caught her scent.

Her steps slowed as her eyes drank it in. Lengthwise, the creature was a little bigger than her; standing, its head came about to her breastbone. Its scales shone a brilliant, almost blinding shade of red in the sunlight, the color of fresh blood (that's right, he had always seemed immaculate, the blood of his prey blending in with his beautiful scales). It was a dragon, there was no mistaking it, and her heart pounded with joy as she met its eyes - but then she received a jolt.

The eyes were not the warm violet color she remembered. They were a harsh, piercing gold, devoid of either recognition or intelligence, and they struck terror into her human heart.

"My love...?" she whispered.

The dragon opened its mouth and snarled at her. Suddenly choked by fear, Kaoru stumbled backward and tried to run, thinking distractedly in the back of her mind that the smell of her terror would only excite the creature even more. Already she knew it was hopeless, but the dragon suddenly came snaking toward her at terrifying speed, and she sobbed when she realized she was going to die in his jaws, and he would never know. To him, she was only prey now. "I love you," she whispered. Even if he could no longer understand, she wanted it to be the last thing he heard from her lips.

His snapping jaws were only inches away from her legs when a sudden thud cracked through the chill air. The dragon reeled back with a howl, and turned venomous eyes to its attacker. Kaoru sat there, gasping in shock, then scrambled around and saw the stupid little goat boy standing higher up on the slope. The child was breathless and flushed with fear and excitement, clutching another rock to throw. "Get out of here!" she shouted angrily at him. "Go!"

Behind her the dragon roared, preparing to charge at this new prey, but then the bushy slopes suddenly seemed to explode with moving figures and furious yells. Kaoru's eyes widened when she saw most of the men and some of the women from the village, their eyes gleaming with battle fury. The boy must have summoned them-

Kaoru realized with a wash of cold horror that this dragon must be the Hitokiri. He had slain humans, and now they were here to avenge their own. "NO!" she shouted.

No one heeded her. Some were flinging rocks at the dragon, as heavy as they could find; others surrounded it with pitchforks and scythes; arrows came showering down on it from above. Two or three of these missiles lodged in the Hitokiri's wings, and it roared in maddened pain as it tried to take to the air and could not. The air was filled with the flame of its breath, but that did not stop the merciless tide of human attackers.

"Stop it!" Kaoru shouted. "Leave him alone! _Stop it_!" She tried to run to him, but someone pushed her roughly back.

"Get clear, Kaoru-san," he said roughly. "We've got him now, you're safe."

"That's not what I WANT!" she cried furiously, her eyes burning with anger.

The crowd around the dragon was thickening. Its hot, steaming blood singed the grass, and its howls suddenly rose into agonized shrieks as someone plunged a sword into its breast.

"NOOOO!" Kaoru screamed.

_To be continued..._


	2. Part 2

_**My Dragon Husband**_**, a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Part 2**

That night, Kaoru tripped yet again and cursed her foggy senses, as she had so many times before. If she could still see in the dark, she would be at his side in an instant. "You can't see in the dark anymore," she whispered angrily to herself. "Stop whining and keep moving. He needs you."

Evading the guards' notice was easy, for they had prudently moved well away from their charge and could not see Kaoru in the darkness. The dragon, moonlight gleaming faintly off its scales, was a humped shape in the center of the village: a dangerous novelty on display. Kaoru gritted her teeth when she saw the chains and ropes that bound his limbs and held him pinned to the ground, torture for a being that belonged in the sky. She would kill them...if she ever found the opportunity, she would slaughter all of them like the savage little beasts they were...

Her steps slowed as she came close, for she knew that to approach a dragon carelessly was folly, no matter how helpless it seemed to be. He knew she was there - a low, menacing growl slithered out from between his jaws, and his mad golden eyes rolled to look at her. Her heart sank as she took in the tense lines of his body, the motion of his claws as they curled in readiness. He did not know her.

"My love," she whispered, but she was hesitant, for this mindless creature was no longer the mate she knew. She swallowed, and her eyes fell on the sword wound near his heart, which was still trickling blood. A name fell heavily from her lips. "Ken...shin." The golden eyes blinked, the rage in them unresponsive. "I will call you this," she said sadly, "while we are among these humans, who go about with names for fear they will forget each other."

The low growl turned into a panicked snarl when she came closer. The muscles under his crimson hide strained, but the bonds held firm. "I'm so sorry," she told him, her heart aching. "Kenshin...I would free you, but you would kill me if I did, and then you would be lost forever."

She realized suddenly that she could not feed him. Perhaps she could bring broth next time, though she wasn't sure if he would take it; but in this moment she dared not touch the chain that sealed his mouth.

She could give him a drink, at least. Unstoppering the jug, she carefully held it over his snout and tipped it, so that water came trickling through his clenched fangs onto his tongue. At the touch of it, he jerked so violently that she actually jumped back, startled. For a moment he was raging, but then he went limp and the golden eyes widened, staring at her.

There were voices in the darkness, from the distant guards. One of them was cursing. "Why won't that beast shut up?"

"_You_ wanna go see what the problem is?" another shot back. There was some grumbling and shifting, then silence.

Cautiously, Kaoru came close again and poured more water into the dragon's mouth. This time he did not resist, though she could see that it was difficult for him to swallow. He wrenched his head back and forth in distress, half-choking; she held back a sob as she watched him, both of them so helpless. Then he found by accident a certain way of tossing his head back that made the water go down his throat, and for a few more minutes she carefully trickled more water into his mouth and he swallowed. Then he fixed those eyes on her again and growled.

Slowly, not meeting his gaze directly, she moved her arm as close as she dared to his nose, so he could get her scent clearly. The growling stopped for a moment, but then surged up again, louder than before, when she moved out of his sight. "I want to look at your injuries," she told him, though of course he did not understand.

The sword wound was the worst, for it was deep and had not been treated. The only other significant damage she could see were the arrows still caught in his wings. She briefly closed her eyes, then went back to his head, where he spit a half-choked snarl at her. "Kenshin," she said quietly. "I'm going to have to hurt you. I am so sorry, but I must. I hope you will be able to forgive me."

He did not understand her words, but she knew that her apprehension was leaking into her scent because he began to thrash, growling louder than ever. She realized that she must do this quickly, before the guards' sense of duty overrode their fear. Wasting no more time, she dashed around to Kenshin's back, and he howled the moment she left his sight again. His wings swayed with the violence of his struggles, making it difficult for her to reach them. When she managed to grab the wing with three arrows in it, his howls rose into shrieks at her touch, but he could do nothing to stop her from wrenching out arrow after arrow. There was no time to be gentle. Even as she grabbed for the other wing, she could hear human footsteps running in the darkness, and raised voices.

The last arrow was out. No chance of treating the wounds now, but they were small and would not need much help from her to heal. She circled around again and shouted at the men who were now striking the dragon, enraging it all the more, its shrieks intensified by pain and rapidly increasing anger. "Stop that!" she cried angrily. Then she sucked in a breath, remembering that she had to school her behavior while in the presence of the humans. "Please, stop. There is a better way."

"Kaoru-san," one of the men snapped. "What are you doing here? Go home, this is no place for a woman." The other guards came crowding around, angry as they clutched their crude weapons and shot venomous looks at the dragon.

"I can send him to sleep," she told them coldly. "Leave this to me; I will make sure he does not trouble you."

"Kaoru-san-"

"Do you want him to die before you can make use of him?" She winced at the hysterical note that had crept into her voice, but was relieved when they eyed each other and finally shook their heads, still looking distrustful. "Then start a fire," she snapped. She turned and went to find the package of herbs she had thought it best to bring just in case.

The odor from the burning herbs reached them even when they had backed away a safe distance. It seemed to take ages before the effect finally crept over the captured dragon, but eventually his howls died down to muted growling, his wild thrashing slowed to a drunken sway, and at long last he lay still. The nasty laughter of the relieved men made Kaoru sick.

"See?" she said shortly. "There are better ways of subduing him than trying to bludgeon him into silence."

"Thank you, Kaoru-san," they told her, with a sincerity of gratitude that surprised her. One of them even offered to walk her home.

"No...no." She added awkwardly, "Thank you, but I will be all right." She pretended to leave, hiding in the shadows until she was sure they had all retreated. A few of the more suspicious ones lingered, and she watched with frustration, hating them. She hated even more the ones who stole the opportunity to give the helpless dragon a few vicious strikes, but at last they left him alone, and she was free to creep back to Kenshin's side.

He lay completely still, his scaled sides rising and falling as he breathed. His eyelids trembled, but he would not awaken for hours. Biting her lip, Kaoru moved close to the wound in his breast and set to work. She had herbs to stop the bleeding and to speed healing, and was able at least to clean all the blood and dirt away. He would recover. He _had_ to, before it was too late.

She had decided that no matter how wild he still was by the time appointed for his death, she would free him. Even if he killed her for it, she would free him.

_To be continued..._


	3. Part 3

_**My Dragon Husband**_**, a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Part 3**

Kaoru had been out herb-gathering all morning to replenish her stocks, so it was not until late in the afternoon that she returned and realized what had been happening in her absence. Hearing the sound of muffled dragon cries from the village square, she tucked her bundle under her arm and ran.

The square was full, though not with the usual bustle of people going about their business. It seemed like everyone who had any time to spare was gathered around the captured dragon, shouting as they tormented him, laughing gleefully at his vain efforts to fight back. Even children were darting forward to cast stones at the creature, no matter how much they were yelled at to keep back where it was safe.

Kaoru nearly screamed with rage equal to the dragon's, wishing she could torch the entire lot of them. Instead she marched her way through the crowd, shoving people violently aside, until she reached a clear space near the dragon's head. As she turned to face the crowd, planted her feet, and set her hands on her hips, she had just time enough to think to herself, _'It's not a dragon's rage you need now, it's a human's. Be careful, or you'll be no help to him.'_ That is why the words, "What on _earth_ do you think you're doing?" came out spine-chillingly low, rather than in a shriek.

The crowd grew quiet and shifted uneasily.

"Kaoru-san..."

"It's the witch."

"Hush, you want her to hear you?"

"You fools," she spat, ignoring their nervous murmuring. "Have you no respect? You think that your...that the 'earth mother' will be pleased with an offering that's been crazed by abuse?" It made her tongue tingle unpleasantly to talk of their strange gods, and she had to remind herself again to pretend to be human. "The Hitokiri is supposed to be your windfall, your treasure, your miracle whose blood will save your crops so that you will not starve. _Treat him as such_." She turned to the dragon and approached slowly, stopping within a safe distance.

At the nearness of her presence he went completely silent except for a very low, unbroken growl. His burning eyes were fixed on her warily, but - he knew her. Not as his mate of course, but as the one human creature that had showed him any hint of kindness. Kaoru went breathless with a sudden rush of hope. _'I will see you again tonight, my love,'_ she thought at him.

She bowed. Then she walked away. The crowd parted for her and soon dispersed, muttering.

o.o.o.o.o

She brought broth that night as well as water, and more medicine. This time he made no noise at her approach, but his chains clinked as he raised his head as much as he could, his crest and wings raised, his glowing eyes alert to her every move. His nostrils flared a little when she was close, and smoke began to trail nervously out of his bound mouth. He growled when she came within reach.

"Hush. You know me, Kenshin." She stood very close to his nose, watching him, and he watched her back as he took in her scent. He blinked and stopped growling, but did not otherwise move. "All right?"

He blinked again, then narrowed his eyes.

Kaoru sighed. "I wish you could somehow understand these human words."

He did not move.

"All right. Let's try the broth this time." He snorted and shook his head at the taste of it, letting it dribble back out, but when she cautiously tried to pour in some more, he did not resist. He snarled and grumbled as he ate, obviously displeased with the meal, yet he was also starving enough to accept it. Kaoru bit her lip, the only sign of her anger at his captors.

When he had eaten it all and she offered him water, he tossed his head in surprise at the change in liquids, but then took the rest gratefully. He was swallowing like an expert by now, as if he had drunk in this awkward fashion all his life. When Kaoru had no more to give him, he pinned his gaze on her again, intent on what she meant to do next.

He was right to be distrustful. At the smell of the herbs, he snarled and shifted violently but could not stop her from treating his wounds. His wings flapped and he tried to stab his face at her, but the chains severely limited his reach. Finally she straightened up and glared at him. "Now stop that, Kenshin. How do you expect to heal properly when you won't even hold still for me to help you?"

He glared at her, growling.

"Hush. I know you didn't ask for it, but you've got no choice in the matter. Now behave."

He understood the tone if not the words. In answer he lowered his head to hers and snorted ash into her hair.

Kaoru grinned up at him. "Do you honestly think that's going to- bother-" She broke off, coughing; she had not expected the ash to irritate her ridiculously sensitive human eyes. She struggled to recover, coughing and rubbing at her streaming eyes, then finally managed to turn back to him.

He was still watching her warily. She pushed him. He growled and stabbed at her again. She sighed. "We're not going to get very far this way." She put him to sleep again with the burning herbs, and finished her work in silent loneliness.

o.o.o.o.o

The villagers were at it again the next day, though they went still when Kaoru approached. She glared, and some of them glared back, but their cruel amusement resumed only half-heartedly, and they soon dispersed.

That night Kaoru found Kenshin waiting for her. His greeting this time was a purring sigh, rather than a growl. "Are you happy to see me?" she asked hopefully. He pushed at her with his head so that she nearly dropped her basket. "Oh. You're happy to see the food, aren't you," she realized ruefully. He looked at her with his golden eyes. "All right then, let's see how much better at this we're getting."

He had learned what to expect, and was almost friendly as she fed him the broth and gave him water. Of course he also knew what else happened during these night visits. When she brought out the medicine, he snarled and tried to shift away from her. "Now Kenshin, come on. Let me look at you."

He braced his head against her and pushed her away. It made her pause, for while the gesture had been firm, it was surprisingly gentle for a violent-natured wild thing like him. She looked more closely at his eyes and found that they were no longer glowing - the color had faded, but their expression was much clearer. So his rage was dying, at least when she was around. It was a good sign. "Kenshin," she whispered.

Longing for her mate, she pushed her face against his, trying to embrace him in the dragon way. It worked only partially, but she could tell he was surprised. He sniffed closely at her, as if double-checking to make sure she was really human. "What do you think, Kenshin?" she asked bitterly. "Am I human? Is there any ash left at all in my scent?"

He lowered his head and looked up at her, sighing thoughtfully. When she shook her head and focused back on the sword wound, his head shot up again and he snarled. "Stop that," she snapped at him. Bracing herself against his scales, she tried to ward him off as she worked, noting with satisfaction that the wound in his breast was healing nicely. For a moment she wished that her tears were still what they had used to be, but then she recognized that even if they were, she could not exactly cry on command. The human medicines were the next best thing, and she had to use what she had.

When Kaoru had finished, she went back up to his head. He looked away from her, grumbling. "I know it hurts," she said apologetically, "but not as much, right?"

He rested his head on the ground, still not looking at her, and did not respond.

Kaoru hesitated, then leaned over and kissed him. His hot scales were uncomfortable against her lips, but she welcomed the heat, wishing that she could take it into herself and warm up again. When she straightened, he rolled his eyes up to her questioningly, but did not move. "It's how humans say 'I love you,'" she told him. "I love you, Kenshin."

He closed his eyes, as if to go to sleep.

"Fine," she said, giving him a little kick. He opened his eyes again and raised his head in surprise. "I'll tell you again when you can understand, and then you had better tell me that you love me, too."

He studied her. His eyes were dark now, and deeper than ever. Kaoru stared into them for a long time. Then she went away.

_To be continued..._


	4. Part 4

_**My Dragon Husband**_**, a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Part 4**

On the fourth night, as she made her way through the village, Kaoru glanced up at the moon and shuddered. It was waning at what she felt was an alarming rate; they were running out of time. That was why she was so glad to find, when she reached Kenshin, that his eyes were once again a soft violet.

"Kenshin," she whispered happily. "You've come back."

He sniffed at her searchingly, looking for the food. Kaoru hesitated. Then she laid her things aside and reached for his face.

His eyes on her were intent, but he let his head rest trustingly in her hands. She touched the chain that bound his mouth, looking for the lock. Then, decisively, she reached for the keys that she had stolen in preparation for this moment.

She did not know which key it was. Finding the right one was a long process, since she had to try each key one by one, and Kenshin did not like it. He shook his head back and forth, trying to throw her off; she finally sat on his neck so she could work more easily, and he resorted to growls and plaintive whimpers. "Don't you see I'm trying to get this abomination off you?" she said in exasperation.

When she was successful, she gasped in delight and then tried to tug the chain free. It was the last straw; he tossed her to the ground and shook his head violently, growling and crying out in discomfort.

"Kenshin, wait, let me-" She got back to her feet and reached for the end of the chain dangling from his restlessly moving face. She tried to unwind it, but he pulled free and scraped his face against the ground angrily, snarling again, his eyes beginning to glimmer with gold.

"Kenshin!" she cried, almost forgetting to keep her voice down. She could tell that the far-off guards were getting uneasy. "Kenshin, stay with me!"

The chain came free, slithering to the ground with a rattling clunk. He did not seem to realize it at first, but continued to shake his head back and forth, groaning in distress. Then his jaws cracked open for the first time in days. The sounds he made were heartwrenching, croaking and snapping as his tongue flicked in and out, trying to soothe the pain. Blood was welling up where the chains had chafed.

"Kenshin, my love," she whispered. "Come here so I can help you."

He ignored her. He raised his head as high as he could and emitted a sudden burst of flame at the sky. It was small and weak, from hunger and from the pain in his newly-freed mouth, but the roar that came with it was triumphant.

Kaoru closed her eyes in panic, knowing that the guards would be brought running by the noise. She had to keep them away from Kenshin...

Kaoru ran to meet them, deliberately calling attention to herself, babbling on about how she was preparing for the rite, and that they must disregard the beast's howls, she had it under control. Her speech and gestures took on a dramatic air, for she was desperate that they focus on her rather than the dragon with its missing bonds.

"Two days hence," she intoned impressively, "the blood of the Hitokiri will be spilled for the sake of our crops, for the pleasure of the earth mother. You have mistreated your offering to her, and the earth mother is angry. I will step in on your behalf, I will appease her anger, but you must allow me to prepare the Hitokiri without disturbance." It was the first nonsense that came into her head, and it suddenly made her angry that she could sound so much like one of the little human monsters.

"Kaoru-san," they were saying doubtfully, their eyes straying to the restless dragon.

"We thought we heard..."

"Weren't that fire-?"

Kaoru raised her head imperiously and was silent. For a minute no one moved. Then some of the guards began backing away reluctantly, muttering about sorcery; Kaoru resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"We'll have to ask the headmen about this," someone finally said. "It won't be long now, Kaoru-san. Not certain what you're up to, but...in a couple days, it'll all be over."

"We will be ready," she said coldly.

The one who had spoken nodded, and turned away. Following his lead, the others left more quickly, some shooting nervous looks over their shoulders at Kaoru.

Her hands were clenched. "Monstrous little..." She shook her head. They were no longer her concern; her mate had come back to her at last, and once again it was their survival that was most important.

Kaoru went back to the agitated Kenshin to finish releasing him. She began to realize how it must be for humans sometimes, unable to communicate with every other beast in the world. The moment Kenshin found a part of himself free, he eagerly doubled his efforts against the rest of his bonds, not realizing that he would be released sooner if he stayed still. She understood; she remembered the instinct to seize the first opportunity with no logical thought at all. All the same, it was frustrating that he could not understand her speech, that all she had to interpret his own speech were her weak human eyes.

"Kenshin! Hold _still_!"

He shot more flame into the air as he thrashed around, frustrated that half of him was free and the rest of him was still stuck to the ground.

She finally tried a dragon call, one that meant something like, _"Lie low."_ The sound of the awful croaking coming from her throat, virtually unrecognizable and unbelievably weak in comparison to a dragon's voice, made her squeeze her eyes shut in mortification - but she quickly opened them again when she realized that Kenshin had quieted. He was staring at her in surprise. She tried again, feeling her cheeks burn because _she_ couldn't even tell what she was saying.

His eyes alight with curiosity, he wriggled forward and nudged her with his snout, his tongue flicking out at her. The moist heat of it scorched her skin, but she didn't care; she was reaching up gladly to run her hands over his scales. "I'm so sorry, my love. Did you even understand a thing I said?"

He grunted, the smelly heat of his breath washing over her, beautiful and sweet in its familiarity.

"Huh," she murmured in surprise. "Your breath stinks. I never noticed before. Perhaps it's no wonder humans don't like us."

Now that she had his attention, she went back to work. She laughed when his head followed her and butted at her in puzzled annoyance, wondering why she was not still trying to talk to him. "Almost done, Kenshin." She unlocked the last chain and cast it away. Kenshin, not noticing at first, licked her again and made conversational noises.

She put her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. "Kenshin," she said softly. "You are free now. We must escape."

He was overjoyed when he realized it. He leaped immediately into the sky, then scrambled ungracefully back to the ground and made a very long whine of distress and hurt.

"Kenshin!" She ran to him, cursing herself for not having had the presence of mind to grab hold of him when he had taken off, and utterly grateful that somehow he was not leaving her after all. "Ken-" She stopped. The sword wound was bleeding again. It was still hurting him, he could not fly.

"It's all right, my love," she whispered, tears smarting her eyes. "We will just have to walk, like humans. I have been doing it for a while now; it's not so bad."

He kept keening for his lost flight, even after she managed to pull at him hard enough to make him follow her. It worried her that the guards would notice his noise moving away - would realize that they were escaping. "Sssh, ssh. Kenshin, hush." He did not respond; her words meant nothing to him. Far away she heard restless voices, and her fear spiked. "Kenshin!" She began to run. He followed her with awkward strides, trying forlornly not to outpace her.

They ran and then walked until they were exhausted, and then they hid. He did not like the dampness of the little cave, but he soon curled up with a sigh and fell asleep at once. Kaoru dragged herself over and looked at him, realizing that in his pain and distress he must have had very little sleep over the last few days. She tried to stay awake, listening for pursuers, but she too was tired. She fell asleep slumped against his hot scales.

She dreamed, as she so often did, of being a dragon. _Alone. Coming- enemy, two-legged; danger! Flame, fight. Killed it._ The last words on dying lips, a curse. _Pain, confusion. Hard to see, hard to breathe. What's happened to me? I...I'm...!_

Some time the next day, she woke with a start to the sound of chillingly familiar voices. Terror shot through her; she was on her feet at once, her heart pounding. She heard Kenshin stir behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to find that he had raised his head. He must have smelled the humans outside, for he rose and crept in utter silence to the cave mouth.

"Kenshin!" Her voice was a terrified thread of a whisper. "No, come back!"

Taking no notice of her objection, he snaked outside. There was a sudden roar of flames, and the air was rent by horrible cries. "Kenshin!" Not bothering to keep her voice down this time, she rushed outside.

She stared and stared at the charred bodies for a long time, thinking of the Hitokiri these people had seen in her mate, thinking that they had mates of their own back in the village. Thinking of their need for spilled blood. "Kenshin," she said quietly, laying a hand on his neck. "Let's go."

They kept on the move, surviving, waiting, healing. She found that he would stay awake when she slept, and it became a pattern, an exchange, as they kept guard over each other. He caught their food, which they both ate burned black. She tried to practice making better dragon calls, which first confused and then amused him; he made nonsense sounds at her, trying to imitate human speech. Many times as they ate or rested, they just sat and gazed into each other's eyes, wondering.

_'Why are you staying with me, protecting me?'_ she thought. _'I am a human, the enemy.'_ She might have cared for him in his captivity, but that did not change what she was now. She remembered how she had used to think of humans - mindless, savage animals, not worth a second thought, except to eat during lean times or to defend oneself from. She knew now that they had lives and loves and speech of their own, every bit as complex as that of dragons, but how could he know that?

Tears were leaking slowly out of Kenshin's unblinking violet eyes. They hissed into steam when they hit the ground.

Her heart pounding, Kaoru crawled close to him. He did not move, except to flick his tongue out at her in sad greeting. "Do you weep for me?" she whispered. "For your lost mate?" Trembling, she reached out to touch the dragon tears, then pressed herself against his face and let them pour over her.

The tears burned her skin; she cried out in pain but did not move even when her flesh felt like it was boiling. She felt sick, and she bent over to clutch at her stomach and squeeze her aching eyes shut. The heat did not fade, but it grew first bearable and then delightful. Her skin had erupted into an intense itching all over, but then the discomfort slid away like water and she did not even notice it going. The world was tilting; she lost her balance and fell, hearing the crackle of her skin and the cracking of her bones. Her teeth ached, grew, sharpened; then that pain too went away. In the end she lay limp and shaking, but overjoyed.

_"My love,"_ she whispered in a rumbling hiss.

He was nosing at her, licking her, caressing her with his wings, his tail whipping excitedly. _"My love,"_ he murmured into her mind,_ "my love, at last this one has found you. You were lost, all was lost. This one went mad with searching, that he did."_

She raised her head and licked him. _"I know. I saw your golden eyes."_

He stared at her, aghast to learn that she had been prey in his sight. _"You? That little two-legged thing..."_

_"Ah, Sword-heart, that was me,"_ she said, translating his new name from sounds to thought._ "I cared for you as best I could in that human form. Now I will care for you properly again."_

He had tilted his head in puzzlement, trying to understand the concept of Name. _"What is it you call this one?"_

She smiled a dragon smile. _"You are still my love, but you are also Sword-heart. The humans do this to call and to claim."_

_"Ah."_ He smiled back. _"Then you are Fire-heart, that you are. After so much calling, you have come, and you are claimed, just as you have claimed this one forever."_

She was so happy, for the first time in so long, that she was weeping. She got to her feet and went to him, and let her tears fall on his wound. He shuddered as the healing spread through him, then with a cry he surged up and took to the sky. She was beside him, soaring with him, and they danced in the air together once again, singing in joy and triumph.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: This is the only fic where I've given in to the anime and let Kenshin have purple eyes, since he's a dragon here. I'm fairly sure his eyes are supposed to be blue, which is more realistic in any case. This is also the closest I'll get to the unpleasant fandom!Battousai characterization.


End file.
